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She said she "imagined growing old with" Mr George, who she had been with for eight years.

"Trying to explain to a (then) one-and-a-half-year-old why daddy won't be coming home is not the way it should be," she wrote.

"I explain that he is in heaven and even though he's there he still loves you the most."

The defence tendered certificates showing Smith had undertaken several TAFE courses while in custody and asked Justice Peter Garling to take into account special circumstances when considering Smith's sentence.

There's a "possible emergence of a serious mental health illness" in Smith, who had "a substance abuse problem for a number of years", his lawyer told the court.

The defence also argued Smith had a good chance of rehabilitation because of his age but this was rejected by the prosecution as having "no basis".

"In this case the offender has a history of violence and ... drug use," the crown said.

"This matter was committed while on parole."

Justice Garling will hand down Smith's sentence in the Supreme Court on August 8.